Ancient Town Cosa

Cosa was founded in 273 BC as a Roman colony with Latin rights on territory that previously belonged to the Etruscan city of Vulci. It is believed that an earlier Etruscan settlement, whose name was adopted, was located near modern-day Orbetello. In 196 BC, the colony was reinforced with additional settlers. Around 60 BC, Cosa suffered plunder, possibly by pirates, from which the city never fully recovered. Although partially rebuilt under Emperor Augustus, and with structures from the 2nd century AD and a Christian church still existing, Cosa only persisted until the second half of the 3rd century. Thereafter, the forum temporarily served as the center of a large estate, which preserved the remains of the Roman city from the republican period for research. Extensive excavations took place from 1948 to 1954 and from 1965 to 1972 under the American Academy in Rome, with further excavations ongoing since 1991. The surrounding area, known as the ager Cosanus with its villas, has also been explored.

The ancient city of Cosa is situated in Orbetello-Ansedonia in the Grosseto district of the Tuscany region, Italy, at an elevation of approximately 93 meters above sea level.

The impressive remains of the ancient city of Cosa are now accessible to visitors and can be explored. The city was built on a small hill according to an orthogonal plan and included a forum, a Capitolium, a curia, and city walls. The basilica, constructed around 150 BC, is among the earliest known buildings of its type. Particularly insightful for research are the numerous residential buildings, whose atrium houses differ from those in Pompeii and provide new insights into the diversity of Roman architecture.

• Ancient City of Vulci (Ancient Structures), approx. 28.3 km away
• Castello della Badia (Castle), approx. 28.5 km away
• Forte Michelangelo (Fortress), approx. 54.8 km away
• Castello di Rota (Castle), approx. 66.3 km away